Question by bob jones: I want to be able to appreciate War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy?
I am in highschool and sometime down the road (within the next few years) I want to be able to not only understand and appreciate, but also read with ease Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. What should I be doing in the meantime to alleviate the difficulties that may be associated with the process? (reading various forms of literature, etc?) Thank you.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Martie
It isn’t as hard as it looks. Unless, of course, you want to read it in the original Russian. In that case, I suggest you learn Russian. And that’s a completely different question. But if you are reading it in translation, I don’t think you need to prepare for it, really. I didn’t. I would recommend getting a fairly new translation, as the language itself will be easier to read. (My Russian speaking friend said that Constance Garnett is no good but Rosemary Edmonds is ok.) Also, when you are reading it, it would be helpful to actually make a list of the characters and their roles. I found myself getting people confused after about the first 700 pages. But if you keep a list of everyone you meet and their relationships to people, it should be fine. Trust me, despite its intimidating size, it really is not a difficult read. I found it very enjoyable and plan on re-reading sometime soon.
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Uncle Joe says
The key is to read as a habit and get used to reading quite lengthy books. After a while the sheer size of W&P won't seem so daunting.
The pace of events in 19th century literature is quite slow compared to modern fiction, and the lengthy descriptive pasages can seem quite verbose, so I would also suggest you 'acclimatise' yourself by reading shorter 19th century works to begin with. A few suggestions to start you off are:
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner – James Hogg
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court – Mark Twain
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Hero of our Times – Mikhail Lermontov
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
If you enjoy these try these longer novels:
Scarlet and Black – Stendhal
Bleak House – Charles Dickens
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo (almost as long as W&P)
If you read and enjoy these books you'll be ready to tackle 'War and Peace', although I reckon 'Anna Karenina' is far superior!
banana says
reading should not be forced, or it will lose all of its beauty.